Internet Filtering[3] - The use of filters in libraries has increased steadily since the late 1990's. Take advantage of today's broad range of features to provide a flexible filtering environment for your patrons.

Webliography on Creating Web Pages[5] - Want to create a website, redesign your current one, learn HTML? This webliography provides links to resources that will get you started.

Evaluating Internet Resources: A Checklist

Unlike most print resources such as magazines, journals, and books that go through a filtering process (e.g. editing, peer review, library selection), information on the Internet is mostly unfiltered. So using and citing information found over the Internet is a little like swimming without a lifeguard. The following guide provides a starting point for evaluating the World Wide websites and other Internet information.

Authority

Who is the author of the piece?

Is the author the original creator of the information?

Does the author list his or her occupation, years of experience, position, education, or other credentials?

Infopeople Stylesheet

Basic Tips When Writing for the Web

The following are best practices that Infopeople has developed over the years. We use these as guidelines when editing web pages as well as descriptions for online and on-ground courses and webinars. These are recommendations only; your mileage (and sometimes even ours!) may vary!

Things people look for on the screen or keyboard should be in bold. Example: "Click the Submit button." Another example: "Press <Delete>."

If you want someone to type something, put that in bold italics. Example: "Click in the Text Box and type Your Name."

Use brackets < > around keys, except when instructing the user to use keyboard shortcuts. Examples: "Press <Enter>" but "Press Ctrl+A or Alt+Tab."

Put titles of journal articles in "quotes"; italicize newspaper, magazine, and book titles. Exception: If you are linking to an article the link takes the place of the quotes. Example:How Kids Learn[6], Library Journal, p.23, May 2014. (Using quotes and linking is redundant.)

Unless you are creating a webliography or bibliography, link the appropriate text to the website and don't include the URL within parentheses after the link. That being said, if a URL is referenced in an online course reading, make sure to include its complete info in the course's Resources File.

For a webliography, bibliography, or a Supplementary Material list in an online course: Make the title of a website the link (notin bold), and then follow with an unlinked URL within parentheses and do not include the "http://":

First line: placed flush left, with the title of a website linked to the website

Second line: indented, with an unlinked URL, without parentheses and without the "http://"

Third line: also indented, annotation, if any

Example of format for Resources File:

Avoid "telling" people where something is, but instead offer the information in a useful context. Examples: Do not say "Yahoo's URL is yahoo.com[7]," or "Their website is here[7]." Rather, say: "Yahoo[7] is a great source for ..."

Periods and commas are always inside quotes. Colons and semicolons are always outside quotes. Placement of a question mark depends on the context of the sentence.

In a series, always use a comma before "and" (or any of the other conjunctions: or, but, for, nor, yet, so). Example: "A, B, and C." Another example: "I can offer you tea, coffee, milk, or soda."

Capitalize subtitles. Example: "Writing for the Web: Basic Tips."

Capitalize first letter of the first word in bulleted lists.

Do not use ALL CAPS for emphasis; it's LIKE SHOUTING at someone. Instead, use bold or bold italic.

Recommended Usage Tips

To help provide consistency in spelling and grammar, Infopeople recommends the following stylistic conventions, both on the website and in other publications.

Library-specific conventions: Unless specifically referring to librarians, use the more general term "library staff." Use the name of the library as displayed on their website. Use the term "customers" instead of "patrons." Unless specifically referring to public libraries, use "facilities" or "service points" instead of "branches."

Abbreviations and acronyms: In general, omit periods from initialisms: ALA, CLA, PDA, URL, but do use periods in U.S. and U.N. Use U.S. as an adjective and United States as a noun. Example: "She's going to visit the U.S. territories of Guam and American Samoa before returning to the United States."

Addresses: Some web addresses still require "www," but many do not. The best practice is to check any web address to see if it works without the "www." Since the "http://" part of a URL does not have to be typed into a browser address box, it no longer needs to be included in the address. So when referring to the Infopeople website, the address is simply "infopeople.org."

Ellipses: The ellipsis (plural ellipses) is the mark that indicates the omission of quoted material, as in "Brevity is ... wit." Although most style manuals prefer the use of spaces between the periods, the preferred use in electronic communications is to not use spaces between the periods, since line-breaks can be unpredictable. Do place a space before the ellipsis and another after. The ellipsis itself is three periods (always); it can appear next to other punctuation, including an end-of-sentence period (resulting in four periods). Use four only when the words on either side of the ellipsis make full sentences.

Gender: Avoid the use of he, she, his, or her unless gender is essential to meaning. Also avoid the use of "he or she," or "his or her" if possible. Do not use "s/he" or "his/her." A plural construction often solves problems: "Donors may pay by credit card if they so choose." Be careful not to mix singular and plural. Incorrect: "Every student has their preference." Correct: "All students have their preferences." Use "chair" rather than chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson.

Hyphens: A compound is hyphenated when it comes before the noun, but not after it. Examples: "She directs their computer-assisted reference services." "Almost all our services are computer assisted." "He lives in off-campus housing." "His home is off campus." "She is a well-respected professor." "Professor Frye is well respected." In headings, only the first part is capitalized. Example: "First-time Visitors"

Indefinite articles: Words starting with a pronounced "h," long "u" or "eu" take the article "a," not "an." Examples: a hotel, a historic study, a euphonious word, a URL; but an honor, an heir.

Numbers: Avoid beginning a sentence with a number that is not written out. (Exception: you can begin a sentence with a date: 1997 was a very good year for owls.) Numerals one through nine should be written as words; 10 and above should be written as numerals. Exceptions include unit and monetary values, scores, percentages, and decimal fractions, all of which may be indicated with numerals.

Plurals: The only plural nouns that take "'s" are abbreviations with more than one period and single letters: M.B.A.'s; R.N.'s; A's and B's; x's and y's. Example: "Berkeley awards more Ph.D.'s to women and minorities than does Harvard."

Acronyms, hyphenated coinages, and numbers used as nouns (either spelled out or as numerals) add "s" (or "es") to form the plural. Exception: an acronym ending in the letter "s": W-2s; 747s; 1980s; wi-fis; follow-ups; sixes and sevens; but SOS's.

Possessives: Plural nouns ending in "s" add only an apostrophe. Examples: the horses' food, the VIPs' entrance, states' rights. Singular nouns ending in "s" add an "'s" to form the possessive (except when two or more sibilants precede the apostrophe). Examples: campus's, The Times's, James's (but with two or more silibants: Kansas', Moses').

Quotation marks: Use quotation marks to indicate a citation or direct quotation. Place commas and periods inside the closing quotation mark; colons and semicolons go outside. Placement of a question mark depends on the meaning: Does it apply to the part quoted or to the whole sentence? Exception: If you have a long, many-lined quote, you can set it indented on both right and left, as a blockquote, and then you omit the quotation marks.

Commonly Misused Words

affect, effect: "To affect" means (1) to influence, change or produce an effect; (2) to like to do, wear or use; or (3) to pretend. "To effect" means to accomplish, complete, cause, make possible or carry out.

its, it's: This one is easy but, nevertheless, often misused. "Its" is the possessive form of the pronoun "it." Example: "The group decided that its rules were too strict." "It's" is a contraction for "it is" or "it has." Example: "It's a requirement that each department have its own chair." Tip: A quick way to check if you've used the correct version is to read the sentence back to yourself, inserting "it is" in place of "it's" or "its" to determine if it still makes sense.

lie, lay: The verb "to lie" (indicating a state of reclining) does not take a direct object: "I lie down." Its past tense is "lay." Example: "I lay down." Its past perfect tense is "have lain." Example: "I have lain down all day." And its present participle is "lying." Example: "I am lying down; I was lying down." The verb "to lay" is an action verb and takes a direct object. Example: "I lay the book down." Its past tense is "laid." Example: "I laid the book down." Past perfect is "have laid." Example: "I have laid the book down." Its present participle is "laying." Example: "I am laying the book down; I was laying the book down." The verb "to lie" (as in to speak an untruth) takes the forms lied, have lied, and lying.

login, logon, logoff: As a noun or adjective make one word, but as a verb, use "log in," "log on," and "log off." Example: "Please log in to your account using your login name."

that, which: "That" heads a restrictive clause; "which" heads a descriptive clause. Note the difference in meaning between these two sentences: "The Navy is mothballing all of its ships that are rusty" (the only ships being mothballed are the rusty ones). "The Navy is mothballing all of its ships, which are rusty" (all of the Navy's ships are rusty, and all are being mothballed). If the clause can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence, the word to use is "which."

their, there, or they're: "Their" is the possessive form of the pronoun "they." It always describes a noun. "There" is an adverb meaning "that location." It is sometimes used with the verb "to be" as an idiom. "They're" is a contraction of "they are."

Examples: Their cat has fleas. (possessive) I put the cat's collar right there. (location) There are five prime numbers less than 10. (idiom) They're 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. (contraction)

then vs. than: "Then" refers to a place in time, but "than" is used to signal a comparison or express an exception. There's a mnemonic for one word of this pair: "Then is When."

Examples: First we'll go to the library; then we'll go to the shopping mall. Visiting the library is more fun than going shopping. No one other than you would rather read a book than buy a new scarf.

your, you're: "Your" is the possessive form of the personal pronoun "you." "You're" is a contraction of "you are." Examples: Your books are overdue. You're going to pay your fine when you return the books. Tip: A quick way to check if you've used the correct version is to read the sentence back to yourself, inserting "you are" in place of "you're" or "your" to determine if it still makes sense.

Attribution

All material on the Infopeople website, as well as Infopeople instructional materials, is released under a Creative Commons non-commercial share alike license. When using materials from the Infopeople website, we appreciate the use of the following credit statements.

Online/on-ground course material: "This material is taken from an Infopeople course taught by <instructor name> in <date (use month and year course was taught)>. Infopeople [infopeople.org] is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Infopeople materials are covered by a Creative Commons 4.0 Non-commercial Share Alike license. Any use of this material should credit the funding source﻿."

Webinars: "This material is taken from an Infopeople webinar presented on <date> by <presenter name>. Infopeople [infopeople.org] is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Infopeople materials are covered by a Creative Commons 4.0 Non-commercial Share Alike license. Any use of this material should credit the funding source﻿.﻿"

Web content: "This material was created for the Infopeople Project [infopeople.org], supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Infopeople materials are covered by a Creative Commons 4.0 Non-commercial Share Alike license. Any use of this material should credit the funding source﻿.﻿﻿"

Sources consulted:

Usage notes from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2000 -- bartleby.com/61/

Please send questions or comments to Eileen O'Shea (eileen at infopeople.org). This page was adapted from material originally developed by Carole Leita for Infopeople. Last updated June 20, 2014.

Internet Filtering

Internet Filtering & Libraries

Libraries began using Internet filters in the late 1990's due to community pressure and the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). CIPA[9] is a federal law that requires all computers in a public library to be filtered if that library accepts any federal funds for computers that access the Internet or the costs associated with the connection to the Internet. It took effect on July 1, 2004.

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-rate program (a program that makes certain communications technology more affordable for eligible schools and libraries) unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene, (b) child pornography, or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing: (a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet; (b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; (c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online; (d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and (e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.

To learn more about libraries & Internet filtering, follow these links:

History of Internet Filtering

Libraries began using Internet filters in the late 1990's due to community pressure and the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). CIPA[10] is a federal law that requires all computers in a public library to be filtered if that library accepts any federal funds for computers that access the Internet or the costs associated with the connection to the Internet. It took effect on July 1, 2004.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures[11], "twenty-one states have Internet filtering laws that apply to public schools or libraries." While most of these laws require publicly funded institutions to adopt Internet use policies, some mandate filters. Legislators are convinced that filters effectively protect minors from harmful, web-bourne Internet content. To the extent that filters are expensive and may pose a threat to free speech or open access, legislators (and much of the public) have decided that the protections for children outweigh any such concerns. The use of filters in libraries has increased steadily. Library Journal[12] reported that the percentage of libraries filtering increased from 25% in 2000[13] to 65% in 2005[13], yet many librarians argue that filters have no place in a library.

While some libraries were developing Internet policies explaining their reasons for not[16] using filters, other libraries[17] were quietly installing them. The libraries installing the filters soon found that filters alleviated many thorny problems they'd been grappling with. It turned out that filters did prevent children from bumping into unexpected and unwanted websites and advertisements. Filters served as a deterrent for public porn browsers. Libraries found that with some effort, they could implement and enforce their Internet Use policy. For the first time, libraries had a way to control how their public computers were being used. The filters didn't do the job perfectly, but the fact was, some libraries found there were many fewer Internet-related complaints from patrons after the filters were installed.

Filters today are powerful and feature-rich. They are a far cry from the simplistic filters that blocked an entire site because of an "offensive" word though they are still far from perfect. Today's filters are much better at evaluating content and the features provide the library with many options for how to implement them.

If your library is using a filter, it is your responsibility to do so with integrity and transparency. Work closely with patrons and staff and library boards to agree on a policy of filtering and then implement that policy. Monitor the performance of your filter, make adjustments, and work closely with your community.

Take advantage of the today's broad range of features[21] to provide a flexible filtering environment for your patrons. The requirement to filter may have been mandated by legislators, but the implementation of your filter need not be so unyielding.

How Internet Filters Work

Filters operate on a system of categories. Websites, or sometimes individual web pages, are categorized by filter companies. The library's filter administrator utilizes the categories to build filter profiles. For example, the adult filter profile might allow all categories of content to pass through except items categorized as "sexually explicit." The children's filter profile would undoubtedly block the "sexually explicit" content as well as other categories deemed inappropriate for children such as "hate," "firearms," and "violence." The filter company decides how each site will be categorized.

Filter companies fiercely protect their process for categorizing websites and equally fiercely protect the websites identified within each category. Part of the value of the filter is in the number of websites categorized, because sites that have yet not been categorized will not necessarily be blocked. Ironically, librarians - professionals trained to catalog and evaluate content - subcontract their cataloging job to Internet filter companies when they install a filter. Unlike librarians, the subcontractors are not information professionals, they typically use automated methods to classify the 3 billion web pages on the Internet.

The features available in state-of-the-art filters are too numerous to recount here. For a thorough summary of filter features and to compare filters, feature-by-feature, visit libraryfiltering.org[21]. However, certain features are particularly important for libraries, such as the ability to control what is blocked, how overriding blocked pages is handled, how granular the blocking is (page, site, domain, IP address), and what information is presented to the end users when a blocked page is encountered.

Most library filters leave the choice of what to block in the hands of the filter administrator who selects the categories to block. The filters that don't allow the administrator to set up filter profiles and the categories that will be blocked for each profile are generally not used in the library. Such products might be suitable for home use but are not appropriate in a library setting.

Most filters provide some mechanism for overriding blocked pages either on-the-fly using an administrator password, or by adding sites to an "always allow" list which supersedes the block on a page caused by its categorization. This override capability provides the local administrator the ability to fix errors the filter company has made in their classification process, or to modify the filter company's classification system to more closely match the library's policies.

Because most filters do not disclose the websites contained within each category, these adjustments to the filter categories must be made by the filter administrator as they are discovered. Some filters provide more granularity in their blocking behavior than others. For example, a small number of filters allow the administrator to block certain file types (such as GIF, JPG, BMP, TIFF) within a category. Such granularity enables the filter administrator to block images within a category without blocking the text on the page.

Other filters are more gross in their blocking behavior and block the entire page, or even the entire domain. Some filters convert the domain to an IP address and block any websites sharing that IP address. Blocking shared IP addresses[22] always results in over blocking.

Some filters rely solely on lists of URLs within categories. Other filters use a system of dynamic filtering. Dynamic filters analyze websites as they are accessed by the end-user and based on the analysis, categorize the page. As filters become more sophisticated, companies are using a dynamic filtering process to supplement their URL lists, if not replace them entirely.

When the end users encounter a blocked page, they are usually presented with a message advising them so. The default block page is often customizable and can be used to provide useful information to the patron about why the page has been blocked and what to do if they'd like the page unblocked. Filters that block pages without advising the patron that they've been blocked by the filter[23] should be avoided.

Best Practices in Filtering

Libraries using filters should take special precautions to do so in accordance with the library's mission. The following guidelines are provided to assist libraries implementing filters.

Protect Patron Privacy

Because of the way filters work, it is easy to accidentally invade patron privacy. Many of the filters have real-time monitoring features that should be turned off. Filters generate logs containing websites visited by patrons and these logs should be erased according to a written retention policy.

It is important to understand all the features associated with the filter you are using and turn off the unwanted features. Library administrators should also ensure that only authorized filter administrators have access to the filter server.

Minimize Blocking

By default, most filters will block far more content than is appropriate in a library setting. It is important to cycle through several iterations of tweaking and tuning your filter configuration before determining that your filter is set to block as little content as necessary to comply with your Internet Use Policy.

Monitor Blocking Accuracy

Ensure that the monitoring of blocked sites in your library is someone's job and that they are adjusting the filter as needed when sites that should be allowed are being blocked. Do not rely upon patron complaints to tell you whether your filter is working because experience shows that most patrons do not complain when a site is blocked.

Make Unblocking Easy and Quick

Many filters provide features that enable adult patrons to turn off blocking for themselves either for a single site or for all sites for the duration of their session. Use these auto-selection features as much as possible to accommodate all patrons.

If patrons cannot unblock the sites for themselves, there must be a way for staff to quickly and easily perform this function for them. Some filters enable the user to request a site be unblocked via the blocked page itself. Others will require the patron to locate a staff person to unblock the site by entering a password or changing a setting on the server. Be sure your library has established a policy for handling unblocking requests swiftly and that the process is easy for both patrons and staff.

Keep Patrons Informed

Regardless of what your filter policy is, or which filter you use, or how you handle unblocking sites, it is important to keep your patrons informed of the underlying reasons for filtering the Internet and all the procedures associated with implementing that policy. The Internet Use Policy should be readily available for all users accessing the Internet on library computers. Handouts about the filter and how to turn off filtering or request that a page be unblocked should also be readily available to patrons. If multiple filter profiles are available to choose from, make sure that guidance is provided so that patrons can make the choices that suit them.

Library Filtering Resources

Filters and Filtering[24]. Maintained by the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, this resource contains news, ALA policies and statements on filtering, Internet Toolkit, legal information, and more.

CIPA[25]. Maintained by the American Library Association, this resource contains information about implementing filtering to comply with CIPA, legislative history of CIPA, and ALA's position on CIPA.

CIPA FAQ[26]. Bob Bocher's excellent summary of everything you need to know about CIPA. Bob Bocher is a Technology Consultant at Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction.

libraryfiltering.org.[27] Maintained by Lori Bowen Ayre, this website provides a matrix of filters available for libraries including contact information, pricing, and product features. Visitors can select products and features to compare side-by-side.

Using FTP for Transferring Files

FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over a network. There are two computers involved in an FTP transfer: a server and a client. The client computer can upload (move up to the server) or download (move down from the server onto their local computer) files. You generally use FTP software to make ftp'ing easier.

Here are some links that hopefully will be of assistance in learning the ins and outs of file transfer protocol (ftp).

General Reference and Basic HTML Code Sites

HTML Help by the Web Design Group (WDG)[33] - Great all-around information to help you design a website. Includes a Reference section on HTML, a glossary, advice on design elements such as graphics and colors, and links to tutorials, style guides, and validators. "The Web Design Group was founded to promote the creation of non-browser specific, non-resolution specific, creative and informative sites that are accessible to all users worldwide."

Writing for the Web: a Primer for Librarians[40] - "This paper discusses basic concepts and terminology which are associated with writing documents for the web. It is not an in-depth HTML guide, but a general introduction on how web documents are created."

HTML Editors, Code and Link Checkers

WDG HTML Validator[47] - Another good validator. Also allows you to check your files still on your computer.

Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool[48] - WAVE is a free web accessibility evaluation tool. It allows you to plug in URLs, paste in text, or upload files for checking. You can also download a Firefox toolbar.